Cursed

Director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson reunite in an attempt to do for the werewolf movie what “Scream” did for the slasher flick. The film opens with a meta-homage to “The Wolf Man” (1941), as a fortune teller (Portia de Rossi) tells two young women (Mya and Shannon Elizabeth) that they will suffer a terrible fate; soon, they cross paths with both a werewolf and a car containing siblings Ellie (Christina Ricci) and Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg), resulting in an accident that leaves both brother and sister “infected.” Soon, Jimmy’s the MVP of his high school wrestling team and Ellie’s catching flies with her hand, but who is the beast that’s been terrorizing suburban Los Angeles (whether the moon is full or not)? “Cursed” ended up being an appropriately titled film, as the project proved to be troubled during both principal photography and post-production, resulting in many original cast members — including Skeet Ulrich, Mandy Moore, Omar Epps, Illeana Douglas, Heather Langenkamp, Scott Foley, Robert Forster and Corey Feldman — being replaced or cut from the film completely. The “curse” has been lifted somewhat as the film has gained a cult following amongst diehard Craven fans, mostly thanks to the unrated DVD that replaced some of the gory footage the director had to cut in order to obtain the studio’s desired PG-13. – IFC Staff.